Railway frog and method of manufacturing same



Jan, 13, 1925.

H. H. DIEHL RAILWAY FROG AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME Filed Oct. 1,. 1923 AWN , rection of the arrow.

Patented J an. 13, 1925.

HERMAN H. DIEHL, OF HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE; WEST VIRGINIA RAILOOMPANY, 0F HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, A CQRPORATIO'N OF WEST V-llItGINIAv BAILWAY LRCG AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

Applicatibn filed October 1, 1923. Serial No. 666,009.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN H. DIEHL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntington, in the county of Gabell and State of est Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Frogs and Methods of Manufacturing Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, more particularly, to the points of frogs which comprise the portion thereof which presents the angularlydisposed rail sections which converge toward, and terminate in, an apex or point.

Steel frog-points as hitherto constructed involve the bending. and-machining of certain portions of the rails used to form the 'frog-point, which are expensive operations .to perform, and furthermore the extremeapex portion of" the frog-point, and which is subjected to very severe stresses in use, due to impacts produced by the wheels of the vehicle traversing the frog, often becomes impaired and sometimes breaks, rendering the frog unsuited, if not unfit, for further use.

One of my objects is to provide for the production of frog-points at less cost than hitherto possible; another object is to provide improvements in frog-points to the end that they will be better adapted to withstand the stresses to which they are subjected in use, reducing to the minimum danger of impairment thereof whether by deformation, due to the pounding of the wheels against the apex portion of the frog-point; through breakage of the point by the action of the wheel; or the destruction of the point by 1 reason of the looseness of its two component parts relative to each other which feature commonly results in theusual two-piece frog-point constructions; and other objects as will be manifest from the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the frog-point, showing its condition during the process of forming it in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is 'a plan sectional view of the frog point, the section being taken as represented at the line 2 on Fig. 3 and viewed in the di- Figure 3 is a section taken at the line 3 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Figure 4 is a v l 3 of the comp eted fr g'po nt Figure 5 is a plan view, with one end broken away, of the blank from which the frog point of the preceding figures is formed; and Figure 6, a section taken at the line 6 on Fig. 5 and viewed in the direction of the EIII'OV.

I11 producing my improved structure in the preferred way, I form the frog-point from a single section of steel rail of the desired gauge, the head of'the rail at op posite sides thereof, and one base flange of the rail, being cut away at points midway between the ends of the rail, as represented at 10, 11 and 12, these cut-away portions each presenting the converging surfaces, as represented at 13, 11

and 15, respectively, the points at which the converging surfaces 13 and 15 intersect lying in the same plane transversely of the rail, and the surfaces 13 being more divergent than the surfaces 14, as shown. The rail thus conditioned is then bent at the point midway of its length in a direction to cause the surfaces 13 and 14; to approach each other, respectively, and to an extent suflicient to cause these opposed surfaces to extend into close proximity to each other, the surfaces 13, 14: and 15 extending at such angles relative to each other and to the plane of the rail that when the rail is bent as above stated the outer ends of the diverging rail portions of the frog-point will extend, relative to each other generally, substantially at the desired angle.

Following the bending of the rail as stated the web and head portions of the rail at the apex portion of the frog-point are subjected to an operation, preferably a squeezing or swaging operation for affording to the extremity of the apex portion, the desired form such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and inwardly deflecting the web and head portions of the rail and the outer flanges thereof at the apex portion to cause the web and head portions to occupy the positions represented in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the web portions extend into close proximity to each other as shown.

In the finished structure the outside vertical, edges of the diverging head-portions of the frog at the apex portion of the frogpoint will extend at the same angle as the body portions of these rails and in the same lateral planes as the vertical outer surfaces cross-sectional shape as a rail, the head thereof being recessed at opposite sides along converging lines one of its base flanges being straight and the remaining one of its base flanges being recessed along converging lines at a slight angle to the sides of said recess in the head at the corresponding side of the member.

8. A frog-point comprising integral diverging rail portions formed from a steel rail bent at a point between its ends and having its web portions adjacent the extremity of the apex of the point compressed and extruded into a homogeneous body with the head of the rail with the base flanges in continuous contact, thus affording to the structnre the stability and shock-resisting properties of two webs.

9. A frog-point formed of a single length of steel rail, bent at a point between its ends with the joint between opposing portions of the rail, adjacent the apex portion thereof, welded, whereby the diverging rail portions present substantially the same strength and stiffness as in the case of a solid, one-piece, frogpoint.

10. A blank from which to form a frog point comprising a member of the same cross-sectional shape as a rail, the head thereof being recessed at one side along converging lines and the base flange thereof at the same side as the recess in said head being recessed, the walls of said recessed portion of said base flange where they extend laterally beyond said head converging at a lesser angle than the walls of the recess in said head.

11. A blank from which to form a frogpoint, comprising a member of the same cross-sectional shape as a rail, the head thereof being recessed at one side along converging lines and the base flange thereof at the same side as the recess in said head being recessed along converging lines, the outer ends of which extend at a lesser angle to each other than the inner ends of said lines.

12. A blank from which to form a frogpoint comprising a member of the same cross-sectional shape as a rail, the head thereof being recessed at opposite sides along converging lines and one of the base flanges thereof being recessed along converging lines, the outer ends of which extend at a lesser angle to each other than the inner ends of said lines.

13. A blank from which to form a frogpoint comprising a member of the same cross-sectional shape as a rail, the head thereof being recessed at opposite sides along converging lines, and one of its base flanges being recessed alon converging lines at a slight angle to the sides of said recess in the head at the corresponding side of the member.

HERMAN H. DIEHL. 

